In an effort to provide valuable professional and personal development opportunities to the youth in the City of Miami Gardens, Councilman Oliver Gilbert, III collaborated with South Florida Workforce (SFWF) to obtain funding in support of the Miami Gardens Honors Internship Program (Honors Program). The goal of this program is to provide an opportunity for ten (10) high performing young adults, five (5) college students and five (5) high school seniors seeking exposure to a professional career in government with an opportunity to intern with the City of Miami Gardens.
The Honors Program would be an opportunity to gain practical work experience in the field of public administration by working alongside administrators in the City of Miami Gardens. “We need to redefine what success is in the minds of our youth. A lot of our children think of success as being a rapper, athlete or entertainer. In the City of Miami Gardens we have well paid highly educated executives who dedicate their lives to public service and the betterment of our community. These are the careers to which I would like to expose our students, says Councilman Oliver Gilbert.
The Miami Gardens Honors Internship Program will begin in January 2011, and will target young adults age 16 -21 who are eligible to work in the United States. The honors program participants must comply with all City of Miami Gardens employment requirements, and meet household income requirements set by SFWF via their federal grants. Qualified applicants will earn anywhere from $10.00 to $12.00 per hour.
Program Narrative – College Students College students will be selected by virtue of an application process, which will include interviews with a committee comprised of City staff. Students need not be Public Administration majors to participate in the program. Once selected, each student will work approximately 20 hours per week, depending on scheduling availability. Students will work a maximum of 1040 within a 1-year program period.
Program Eligibility- College Student
• City of Miami Gardens Resident
• Household income cannot exceed levels set by SFWF
• 16-21 years old • Must be enrolled in college
• Must be physically able to work in administrative office setting
• Must be able to work approximately 20 hours per week
Program Narrative – High School Student The high school students will also be selected by virtue of an application process. Selected students will be able to either earn a stipend or earn community service hours. Participating students may work up to a full workweek (40 hours) during the summer or during the regular school year, if the student participates in their schools’ on the job-training program. The total hours worked will be subject to the student’s class schedule/workload.
The maximum stipend to be earned by each student will be $5,000 for the year (based on a total of 480 hours worked). High School students that exceed the income limits will receive community service hours in lieu of a stipend.
Program Eligibility – High School Student
• City of Miami Gardens Resident • Household income cannot exceed levels set by SFWF
• 16-19 years old • Must be a high school senior with a minimum GPA of 3.5 (weighted)
• Must be physically able to work in administrative office setting.
Funds for this program will be provided by SFWF. Therefore, participating students must meet the income eligibility standards set by SFWF as imposed on them by the funding source, the U.S. Department of Labor. The City of Miami Gardens Community Development Department agrees to perform the required screening and eligibility compliance functions for applicants into this program.
Additionally, the City of Miami Gardens through its non-profit entity the, Friends of Miami Gardens, will seek to raise monetary support for this program. Funds raised through Friends of Miami Gardens will be used to fund a scholarship for participating students in this program. Scholarship funds can be used toward tuition and books and will be paid on a reimbursement basis.
Applications for the Honors Program will be available January 2011. Once the applications are available, the City will distribute a notification throughout the local community. Students interested in the Honors Program should contact the City of Miami Gardens Community Development Department for more information and details at (305) 622-8041.
